Naruto: Whirlwind's Wrath
by silvioxp1300
Summary: His clan was taken from him, leaving him alone in a village that has only ever despised him. For the sake of what he has lost and what he must protect, Naruto refuses to endure the darkness of the shinobi world, and will strive to rise above it, for his sake, and for those he holds dear.
1. Chapter 1: Red Hair, Red Blood

**Naruto AU where his back story is combined with Sauskes. Something I've thought of for a while, I've even posted the idea for any writer to adopt it or atleast inspire them to write more of the kind of fanfics that I like to read. No luck there, so I finally decided to write it myself. I was also further inspired by the latest Mortal Kombat games, especially with the long time character Scorpion, so there will be some elements from there. I can't make any promises as to how frequent I write, or how far I'll go, but I hope It'll be plenty for both. **

**Some things to expect:**

**Grey Naruto (Neither good or evil)**

**Fuinjutsu / kenjutsu / wind style / earlier access to Nine-tails chakra Naruto**

**Eventual Naruhina**

**Civilian Council bashing.**

**I don't own anything from either franchise.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Red Hair, Red Blood.**

Within the Hokage tower, members of the village's hierarchy have all gathered for a council meeting, called fourth by the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade Senju.

Tsunade sat at the central table in the council room, alongside her predecessor Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, as well as her two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. On the left sat the shinobi side of the council, heads of the shinobi clans that are native to the village, and on the right was the civilian side, those in charge of the systematic affairs of the village.

"Thank you all for coming. As I'm sure you've already guessed, this meeting is to discuss the matter of our recent attack only hours ago." Tsunade began.

"Lady Tsunade, what of Lord Danzo? It's our understanding that he lead the fight against the enemy." A civilian councilman asked.

"That will be covered soon enough. Now, our village was infiltrated by the shinobi organization known as the Genshin Ryu. Their mission is to take control of all of the shinobi villages, with the hopes of maintaining stability between them under one power. Our village is the first in their conquest." Tsunade explained.

"Can we assume then that the enemy has been dealt with, and are either captured or killed?" Another civilian asked. Tsunade let out a deep breath and paused for a moment.

"If only to make yourselves feel better. They are the victors, not us." She finally answered. This statement led to an outburst of yelling and argument.

"What?"

"That's impossible!"

"Lady Tsunade, we heard that this group is made up of powerful shinobi and that they might even rival the Akutski, despite having lesser numbers, but for them alone to successfully concur one of the great shinobi village? It's absurd." The advisor Koharu suggested.

"The Seals." Everyone turned their eyes to the source of that comment, and looked towards Fugaku Uchiha, Head of the Uchiha clan and police force.

"The Genshin Ryu's victory was due to them successfully placing an identical seal onto all of our shinobi. Our lives are in their hands now." He went further.

"How do you know this, Lord Fugaku?" Homura asked for everyone to know.

"Because it's the exact same seal we use on our prisoners. It's designed to subdue its host through immense pain, as well as cause instant death, either upon command or when an outside source attempts to remove it. What's more, it draws on the chakra of it's host to activate, suppressing their ability to us chakra. Basically, we're all in chains that only our captures can remove, if they wished to." Fugaku explained.

"Yes, it's exactly as Fugaku had said. Fact is, the battle was lost before it even began. The only reason that one occurred was because Danzo acted one his own, preparing himself and his subordinates to face the Genshin Ryu after they had succeeded in their plan with the intent to serve his own means." Tsunade revealed, making everyone ponder on the idea that Danzo is a traitor.

"That would suggest that Danzo was aware of their plan and was going to take advantage of it, most likely by taking control of the village for himself." The Jonin Commader, Shikaku Nara states.

"It would appear that way. Whatever the case, Danzo's forces lost, and he died in battle." Tsunade explained. The room was quit for a moment.

"So now what? Where does the Genshin Ryu go from here?" Homura asks the Hokage. Tsunade lets out another deep breath.

"That is for them to tell us. The true purpose of this meeting was to arrange an audience with them." Tsunade states. She looks to the two ANBU shinobi standing guard by the entrance and gives them a silent order. They both complied by pulling open one side of the double doors, revealing a group of six that was waiting outside.

Each member of this group was wearing a matching uniform, distinguished by separate colors; green, brown, red, blue, yellow and white. Their uniforms consisted of a hooded uwagi with a front and back that almost reaches down to knees, shoulder plates and forearm protectors, a black belt around the waist and thick black trousers with shin protectors.

Their heads were covered by the hoods of their uwagi, and they wore masks similar to that of the ANBU, only instead of animal-like features, they had markings in the same color as their uniforms, as well as a kanji symbol that represents an element; wind for green, earth for brown, fire for red, water for blue, lightning for yellow, and yang for white.

They also had some personal distinguishments amongst themselves. Both the yellow and white shinobi had figures that clearly showed they were female. The brown shinobi carried a large stone gourd on his back, and the blue shinobi had a bamboo jug strapped on the side of his belt, along with a pipe.

They all walked inside the room, the green shinobi being ahead of the rest, until he stood at the center for the whole council to see.

"By now, the Hokage has filled you in on who we are, what our goal is, and what we've just accomplished. If there's anything I have to say, its that it's about time you all got what was coming to you." The green shinobi states. Before anyone could ask what he meant by that, he pulls down his hood, giving the entire council a very good idea as to who he is when they could see his red hair. Their suspicion was immediately confirmed when he took of the mask, revealing blue eyes and a whisker-like birthmark.

Naruto Uzumaki had returned to Konohagakure.

The room remained silent, up to when a rage driven councilman from the civilian side got up from his seat and threw his

"You demon! Do you think we will stand for this, bowing down to you and your demon loving minions, you filthy..."

The next thing anyone knew, Naruto was standing on the opposite side of the civilian table, holding up his right fist that had a bright orange glow. The councilman was found all the way back to the wall behind the civilians, motionless and held up by the dent that was made with his head. While the civilians had their eyes fixated with anxiety on this scene, they were startled by the sound of a loud bang. They turned their heads back towards Naruto, who had just impacted his raised fist onto the table, creating another dent.

"You don't seem to get the point. I'm above the Hokage now, nothing to hold me back, and nothing to protect you anymore." Naruto sternly explains to the civilian council. Their only response was their continued silence.

"That's what I thought."

Two ANBU appeared by the stricken councilman, about to take him for medical attention.

"Leave him." Naruto orders them. They stopped and looked at him.

"So that I don't to set anymore 'examples'. You can take him when the meeting's over."

The ANBU turned to Tsunade. She gives them a nod, telling them to comply with his command. They simply remained on standby.

"Before I go on, there's something I want to clear up first." Naruto turns to the shinobi council and slowly walks back to the center of the room.

"This village was always my enemy, so I conquered it for my best interest. But I haven't forgotten those who were never like the rest, those who cared about me and wanted to help after I had lost everything. " Naruto talks in a lighter tone, showing that he holds no ill will towards them.

"I don't intend to mix you up with them and I want to maintain good relationships with all of you. It may not be easy for you to accept that after all of this, but I hope you'd at least hear me out." Naruto calmly explains.

"Now for the rest of you." He turns back to the civilian council, talking in his stern voice again, and again raising their anxiety.

"As always, you'll think whatever you want to support your own beliefs, but the truth is that you brought this on yourselves, and it started the day this village began to oppress my clan."

* * *

**Nine Years Earlier**

"Naruto, it's about time you got up. You'll be late for the academy." Kushina calls out to her son. She was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for both him and her husband Minato Namikaze, better known to the shinobi world as the Yellow flash and the Fourth Hokage. He was already sitting down at the table, having his coffee and reading the newspaper.

Moments later, an eight year old boy enters the kitchen. His hair was spiky and blonde, and his eyes were blue, traits that mimicked his father, thought most would say that he resembled his mother more. He wore a white t-shirt that had the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki clan, blue shorts and sandals.

"Morning mom. Mourning dad." Naruto says to both his parents.

"Mourning son. Sleep well?" Minato asks.

"Yeah I slept ok." Naruto answers as he take his seat.

"Are you ready for your class presentation today?" Kushina asks her son.

Naruto was tasked with a class project at the shinobi academy, in which each student would write a report about a shinobi clan of their choosing, either within or outside of their village, and present it to the whole class. He chose the Uzumaki clan, as there was no instruction that kept any student from choosing the clan that he descents from.

"Yeah mom, I got that covered." Naruto assures her.

"By the way, when is uncle Satoshi gonna finish with that new seal he's trying to make? I want to train with him again." He asks.

"Soon honey. Developing a seal takes a great deal of time." Kushina replies.

"What's wrong with kakashi's training?" Minato inquires.

"His training isn't bad, it's him that I can't stand. He's always late and doesn't care about it, now matter how many times I complain." Naruto explains with some irritation in his voice. Minato lightly chuckles at his response, already suspicious of his former student's tardiness being a factor.

"I know Kakashi can be frustrating son, but trust me when I say that he's one of the best shinobi you can get training from, and that's what we want for you, especially since we're unable to train you ourselves. We want you to be every bit as strong and become a splendid shinobi that everyone will look up to." Minato tells his son. Although, there was more to it than that.

Minato has done much for the benefit of Konohagakure in his shinobi career, earning him the title of Hokage and high praise as its greatest hero, but with it also came countless enemies that wouldn't think twice to threaten his family for revenge, especially his vulnerable son.

A family of shinobi in this position would naturally respond by having their children gain as much training as they possibly can to better defend themselves. Naruto's parents wanted the same thing, but didn't have the proper means. Minato was always to busy running the village and performing his Hokage duties, and Kushina was unable to do any practical training because of critical injuries she suffered years ago, limiting her to teaching Naruto fuinjutsu. Kushina's younger brother, Satoshi Uzumaki, gladly volunteered to train Naruto, but he to has been occupied lately, leaving Kakashi Hatake as his substitute.

"I'm sure your uncle wants to get back to your training as well, and is trying to finish as fast as he can. You just have to be patient." Kushina adds to the discussion.

"Bring patient must be what Kakashi is trying to teach you every time he's late. It will be a useful strength to have." Minato hoped to convince his son to see the positive side.

* * *

Naruto left his house and was heading for the academy. Along the way, his Uzumaki clansmen offer him friendly greetings, and he happily returns them. He was well recognized amongst his mother's clan, not only as the son of their Hokage, but also the nephew of their clan head, and is in fact the clan heir until his uncle has children of his own.

He finds one member on his journey that he's fond of, an elderly man who he sees as a grandfather figure, heavy-set with grey hair tied in a ponytail and beard, wearing a white kimono. He was sitting out on a patio, playing shogi with another member.

"Mourning grandpa-Raicho." Naruto made his pressence known to him. The man turns to see him, showing a smile on his face.

"Good Mourning young Naruto. Of to the academy?" He asks the boy, who simply nods his head.

"I heard from your mother that you'll be talking about our clan to your classmates."

"It's just a class presentation. No big deal." Naruto states. Raicho gives out a light chuckle at that comment.

"Even so, you'll undoubtedly focus on all of the things that make our clan great. An advice from an elder, try to show some pride when you talk." Raicho tells him. Naruto has a look of curiosity, wondering what he means.

Showing pride will help to make everyone believe in your words. It will tell them 'I know what I'm saying and I mean what I say, because I Am a member of this clan. '" Raicho went further. He gently places a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"And you are one of us young Naruto, by blood and heart. Always remember that." Raicho reminds him, something that Naruto greatly appreciates.

"Thanks grandpa-Raicho."

* * *

Naruto's journey leads him outside of the Uzumaki district and into the general public where, unfortunately, he was not meet with the same friendly greetings as with his villagers were ignoring him, intentionally to avoid any interaction with him. Those who did pay any attention, it was to show disdain towards Naruto while he wasn't looking. They always tried to hide what they felt for him, but Naruto knew full well what they thought of him, ever since he learned the truth as to the cause.

His mother is a Jinchuriki. This means that thorough sealing, her body is used to imprison a Tailed-beast, a living being made from an immense amount of chakra. She held the most powerful of the tailed beasts, the Nine-tails fox.

On the night of his birth, the fox was unleashed and attacked the village, resulting in a great deal of death and destruction that the village has barely recovered from.

Naruto's father rescued the village by resealing the fox into two halves. One halve went back into Kushina, as a means to save her life after all of the strain that she had suffered, but leaves her crippled as a result. The other went into Naruto, making him a Jinchuriki as well since he was the most suitable candidate by both his lineage and recent birth.

After the attack, Minato announced his son's status to all of |Konoha, in the hopes that the villagers would view him as a hero. But it was to soon. The idea that the nine tails stilled lived and was contained within a child living amongst them was no different than for that child being the nine tails itself and the cause of the tragedy for the emotionally damaged village.

Minato has then made the knowledge a S-rank secret to spare his son of his burden after the mistake he made. No one in Naruto's generation knew the truth, which included him, until his sixth birthday, when a chunin made an attempt on his life, forcing his parents to reveal everything afterwards. Since then, all of their hatred and disdain was clear to see, no matter how much they tried to hide it. any form of kindness they showed him, genuine or not, was only out of fear for his father.

This made Naruto all the more grateful for having a family and clan that loves and accepts him, regardless of what he was. He also knew that there are those outside of the clan who never viewed him as a monster, mainly the head families of the other clans who knew better, all of whom have children his age that is friends with.

One of which he spots ahead of him, walking in the same direction.

"Hinata." He calls out her name.

The girl turns around and to her delight sees Naruto running up to her. She wears a light lavender shirt and navy blue pants. Her hair was dark blue and in a hime-cut style. Most noticeable of all was her featureless lavender eyes, the result of inheriting the Byakugan, a kekkei genkai that comes with being a member of the Hyuga clan, of which she is the heiress.

"Good mourning Naruto." She greets him as soon as he catches up with her.

"Mourning. Glad I caught you on the way." He tells her.

"Yes, I'm happy that I get to walk with you to the academy." She replies. The two continue on their journey, walking side by side.

"So how's it going?" Naruto asks.

"Everything's going good. My sister started her training recently and I've even been sparing with her too. She's really getting into it." Hinata states.

"That's cool, thought I bet she has a long way to go to catch up to you." Naruto compliments her.

"O-Oh, I don't know if I..." Hinata turns her head away to hide the blush that's creeping on her face. She has an admiration for Naruto that went beyond their frienship, something that, to her deepest wishes, he would one day feel the same for her.

"Speaking of training, my uncle got stuck with some clan project, leaving me with Kakashi, who annoys the hell out of me." Nruto says in an angered tone.

"I'm sure he's only doing such things for you benifit Naruto." Hinata tries to convince him

"Yeah, well I still prefer to train with my uncle any day."

* * *

Naruto and Hinata have arrived at the academy. They entered the building and made their way to their designated classroom. Once they opened door and walked right in, they saw that most of their classmates were already here, conversing amongst themselves while they wait to start the day. Naruto looks up and sees another of his closest friends sitting somewhere in the middle. He goes to sit next to him, with Hinata following behind.

"Hey Sauske." He greets the youngest heir to the Uchiha clan. He was wearing a black shirt that had the Uchiha clan symbol, and black shorts. His hair and eyes were also black, common traits within his clan.

"Mourning Sauske." Hinata also extends a greeting.

"Mourning guys." He happily returns them.

"So how are things?" Naruto asks him while he and Hinata sat down. Sauske's expression changed to a somewhat sorrow look.

"Not all good. My cousin Shisui was attacked by enemy shinobi." He tells them.

"Oh dear. Is he alright?" Hinata asks with concern for this sudden news.

"He's not badly hurt, but he did lose an eye. The enemy stole it from him." Sauske stated further.

"Man, that really sucks. Who attacked him, and why?" Naruto inquires.

"I wish I knew, but the grown-ups don't tell me anything. You know how it is." Sauske replies.

This got Naruto thinking. True enough, it wasn't uncommon for the children in a shinobi village to kept out of the loop when it comes to shinobi affairs, even after they become shinobi themselves. Being the son of a Kage, he knew that better than anyone, more so when the fact that he's a jinchuriki was kept a secret, even to him.

His thoughts on Shisui being attacked got him to think about the Konoha shinobi that attacked him a couple of years ago. Everyone who didn't know the truth was given a cover story, believing that it was a shinobi from another village wanting revenge against his father. Is it possible that the attack on Shisui was also a cover story, Naruto ponders.

"Alright class, settle down. Please take your seats."

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by the presence of his home room teacher, Iruka Umino, who had just entered the classroom. All of the students were taking their seats as they were instructed. They sat down in silence as they waited for Iruka to begin today's lesson.

"Good mourning class. Looks like everyone's present. I hope you all remember that today is our presentation on the various clans in the shinobi world. When I call out your name, please come to the front of the class and begin your presentation."

One by one, a student walks down to the front of the classroom after hearing their names from Iruka and reads out loud their presentation from the paper that they wrote it on.

"Naruto Namikaze."

It was now his turn, so he heads down and faces the rest of the class.

"The clan that I chose is the Uzumaki clan, my own clan from my mom's side." He begins. He looks down and reads from his paper.

"The Uzumaki clan is one of the oldest and most powerful clans through out the nations. The Uzumaki specialize in Fuinjutsu, and are considered the best at it. This is because we have more chakra than any other shinobi clan, which also makes it that much harder for us when it comes to chakra control. Fuinjutsu requires lots of chakra in almost every case, meaning less chakra control needed, and instead of controlling it, it's more like you communicate with chakra through writing and drawing. We are also famous for our wind style jutsu, since wind nature is the most common in our clan, which we then combined with our Kenjutsu since wind is the cutting element."

"When shinobi clans started to build the hidden villages and live in them, the Uzumakis built their own village, known as Uzushiogakure in the land of whirlpools. It had a nickname too, the village of Longevity, which comes from how Uzumaki members are known for living longer lives than most, another result from having lots of chakra."

"The Uzumaki's are distant relatives with the Senju clan, with whom they've always had a good relationship, and then both clans made that bond stronger when Lady Mito Uzumaki, daughter of clan head Ashina Uzumaki, came to the Leaf village and became the wife of Hashirama Senju, who we know as the first Hokage. Alongside her, a branch family came and settled in the Leaf Village as well."

"Unfortunately, the branch family is all that's left of us. Other villages were afraid of how powerful Uzushiogakure was because of our mastery of Fuinjutsu, so during the second shinobi war, the villages of Kumogakure, Kirigakure and Iwagakure have joined forces to attack Uzugakure. In the end, the village was left in ruins and the main family was destroyed, with a few survivors who have managed to escape, some of which have came here and joined the branch family, though technically it was the main family now."

"After the war, the Second Hokage appointed the Uzumaki clan as the Uzumaki police force, mainly because of our skills in Fuinjutsu, but it was also a way for Konoha to make up for not being able to save Uzushio, entrusting us with the protecting and the peace of the village that they couldn't give to our ancestral home."

* * *

Today's lectures have concluded at the academy, and all of the students were exiting the building. Naruto was walking out with Hinata and Sauske by his side.

"Hey do you guys wanna hang out for a bit?" Naruto asks them.

"Can't. I have training back at home." Sauske replies.

"Same with me." Hinata state, though she would've liked to spent more time with him.

"Ah man I forgot. Training with Kakashi, I usually have free time before he decides to show up." Naruto states.

"Well, if still want that, I can just come back later." A voice was heard from behind.

All three of them turned around and saw Kakashi Hatake standing there.

"You're actually here? Now?" Naruto was surprised that for once he didn't have to wait for him like he always does.

"Why? Is that so hard to believe?" Kakashi retorts.

"This is you we're talking about, so yeah, it is. What's the catch?" Naruto asks him with a little irritation in his voice while crossing his arms.

"Your father just gave me a mission starting tomorrow. I'll be gone for a while so he also asked me to get as much training done as I can for today, and then I'll leave you with some training to do on your own." Kakashi explained.

"But before that, we should get something to eat. How about so ramen?" Kakashi suggested, hoping to avoid disappointing him at the moment in the way he knew would always work.

"Definetly. See you guys." Naruto exchanges goodbyes with his friends and eagerly walks away with Kakashi.

* * *

A clear moonlit night sky had already reached by the time an exhausted Naruto had entered the Uzumaki District on his way back home.

"Man, Kakashi went all out today. Guess it kinda makes up for always being late." Naruto says out loud.

That though then got him thinking about how late it was right now, which made him realize something. It wasn't late enough that everyone would be in bed by now.

So why is it so quit out, he wonders. There should at least be lights coming from inside the houses, but there weren't any. Naruto starts to feel uneasy, so he quickens his pace towards his home. When he makes a right turn, he stops when he witnesses something he could never have been prepared for.

His Uzumaki clansmen, lying dead on the ground. They all appeared to have been killed in the same manner, stabbed in a vital part of their bodies, mostly the neck area. Through out the street, there was signs of a struggles, mainly consisting of property damage and leftover kunais and shurikens.

"Wha-What's going on?" Naruto's eyes were completely fixated on the horror before him. The only thing he could think to do was to get to his parents as fast as possible, so he starts to run, seeing more bodies along the way, driving him to run faster, until he reaches the front entrance of his house.

"Mom, Dad!" Naruto shouts out as soon as he bursts in, not wasting time with closing the door or taking of his shoes. He gets no response, and it doesn't help that his house is just as quit and dark as it is outside.

"Hello. Is anyone home?" He ventures inside, searching for signs of life, worried about what he may or may not find. Even though it was dark, there was enough moonlight coming from the windows for him to see well enough, so when he ends up in the living area, something catches his eyes.

Behind the cough, there was red hair sticking out from one end. Much to his horror, he already knew what was behind the cough, but he had to see it for himself. Hesitantly, he walks around the other end, and that's when he saw it.

His mother lying on the ground, blood on her stomach, and devoid of life.

"Mom!" Naruto drops to his knees by her side, placing his on her shoulders.

"Mom wake up!" He shake her intensely, hoping that she would open her eyes, a sign that there was still some life left in her.

"Please wake up. Please, not you to!" He tried again.

Nothing. She was gone like the rest of them.

At this point, Naruto could only succumb to the despair that was coming to him, letting go of the tears while he laid his head on her. He remains in this position for a few moments, until he felt that there was someone else in the room. He turns to see who it was, fearing that it was the killer, but was relieved to find his father standing there.

He gets up and rushes towards Minato to seek comfort as he throws his arms around him and continues to cry. He felt that his father placed an arm on his back.

"Everyone's dead. Who could've..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the sensation of being pulled away from the back of his shirt. Minato then raised his right leg and delivered a powerful kick to Naruto's chest, knocking him down on his back.

"What are you...?" He tries to ask in confusion, bolding his hand to where he was painfully kicked.

"Foolish, pathetic boy. Every bit as naive as your mother." Minato said in a cold tone.

Naruto was confused as to why his father was acting like this, but then he notices that in his right hand was one of his signature three-pronged kunai. The blade was stained with blood, helping Naruto to realize the horrible nature of the situation.

"You did this?" He asks in disbelief. Minato remains silent while starring down on him with a cold expression on his face.

"How could you? Why?" Naruto desperately asks for the reason as to why his father murdered his clan. Minato still refused to talk.

"Why?!" Naruto shouts at him, demanding an answer.

"Because I'm tired of being surrounded by weaklings." Minato finally spoke in his still cold tone. Naruto wondered what he meant by that, but then Minato went on with his explanation.

"During the last war, this village has done more to clinch to my strength rather than develop it's own, and it's been that way since. I had hoped there'd be someone here strong enough challenge me and help me determine how strong I truly am, but no one was worthy, and it was a matter of time before I could no longer stand it, so as a final test, I attack the clan with the best chance of pushing me to my limits."

"You killed everyone just to find out how strong you are? Even mom?"

"That's right. No matter what anyone says, power is everything in this world, especially amongst shinobi. The Uzumaki clan, despite their own power, couldn't defend themselves against me alone, and it cost them their lives." Minato kneels downs to get closer to Naruto. He flips the kunai in his hand, pointing it towards his son.

"That just leaves you now." He states, making Naruto worry about what he was going to do now.

"Your not even worth any thought, but your still my son. For me to measure my power, I need to at least face someone that can be considered my equal, and you have the best potential to becoming that. What's more, you already posses the power of a Tailed-beast.

This was the real reason I made you into a Jinchuriki."

This revelation has greatly contributed to Naruto's shock. He was always told that the reason why his father made him a Jinchuriki was because his believed in him to one day master the Nine-tails chakra and become a powerful shinobi. Now, on top of everything else, he learns that it was all a lie, and everything he had to endure as a result, was for someone else's means.

So you see, I didn't just give you power to serve my own interest, I gave you every reason to hate me. This village despises you because of what I did to you to protect it, and now I've taken away your family and clan, the only people who have ever cared about you." Minato states to provoke him. He gets up from his kneeling position and takes a few steps back.

"If you loved your mother's clan, then you will seek to avenge them, even if takes you the rest of your life. Until then, you better get as strong as you can, in anyway you can, because when we meet again, it'll be a battle that only one of us will walk away from." Minato says to him with his back turned. He turns his head around to look at his son for one last time.

"Goodbye, Naruto."

The next second, Minato disappears through the use of the jutsu he was famous for, the Hirashin no Jutsu.

Naruto raises himself up from ground, only to fall on his hands and knees because of the shock of what has transpired. He stares to the ground, thinking only about everything his father has said and done, slowly converting his shock into anger.

While his anger has risen, something else was occurring as a result, a dark-orange chakra was emitting from his stomach and slowly enveloped his entire body. Instead of wondering what this chakra was, his mind was completely focused on hunting down the man that has just caused him so much anguish.

This chakra then took the form of a fox with two tails, and his facile features were a enhanced to appear more aggressive and animal-like. His attitude was also animal-like, as he exists the house by jumping right through a window with an enhanced force from the exterior chakra. Outside, he runs around through out the streets on all fours, ignoring the corpses of his clansmen while he tries to find his father without reason or direction.

Naruto stops when he feels a presence coming towards him from behind. He turns around to intercept, be it a threat or not, but as soon as he was faced with the individual, a piece of paper was slapped onto his forehead.

The individual was revealed to be the elderly Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who jumped back and performed a hand sign, activating the seal that was on the paper. The chakra surrounding Naruto was forced to retract itself back to its source, putting his body through a strain that rendered him unconscious.

He fell into the embrace of the Third Hokage who caught him before he could fall to the ground. He then looks around and sees the bodies of the Uzumaki clan lying dead on the streets, striking his heart with grief at the loss of these members of Konoha, as well as sympathy for the boy in his arms.

"How could things have gotten this bad?"

* * *

**I hope that the readers of this fanfic will find this chapter to be a good start, and I can't wait for the reviews, be it good or bad.**

**One thing you may notice is that the English and Japanese pronunciations are mixed up, as I'm ignorant of the latter and limited to what I've read in previous Fanfics.**

**Also, one thing that I don't brag about is my ability to come up with names, so if anyone has any suggestions as to what it should be for any of the titles, or for the group that Naruto will eventually form, I AM ALL EARS.**

**Till next time. **


	2. Graduation Day

**So yeah, It's finally here, a lot later than what I had hoped. After posting the first chapter, I had to go away somewhere for the next two months that left me with little time to work on this, and when I got back, I had some catching up to do. **

**Also, I never imagined that the chapter would end up being as long as it is. I had considered splitting it up in pieces just to put something more on time, but I decided against it since I don't think they'd have as much of an impact.**

**Anyway, I'm glad that I was able to complete it before the holidays, and I can only hope that the next chapter won't take as long.**

"Speech"

_'Thought'_

* * *

Graduation Day

Four years have passed since the tragic night that claimed the lives of the entire Uzumaki Clan. The loss of one of its most powerful clans, its police force no less, left the village in a vulnerable state for a time, but eventually, it managed to recover and move forward, proving itself a second time in its ability to overcome tragedies, the first being the attack of the Nine-Tails Fox.

Today was a momentous occasion, particularly for the students in their final year at the academy, the day of their final evaluation to determine if they're ready to officially become shinobi, adding a new generation to the village.

Students in the senior year were gathering in their classroom for what might be their last day of attending it, all of whom were exited at the prospect. This classroom had all of the current heirs and heiresses to the shinobi clans of the village, though some stood out more than others.

One particular student was Sauske Uchiha, the top candidate for the title of top shinobi of his year, signifying that he was the best of his class.

Both his position at the academy, as well as being born in the main family of the Uchiha clan, has earned him one downside that he could do without, the pestering of fan girls. This same hindrance explains why almost all of the female students have flocked around him, showering him with praises of affection, all with the hope that he would return the feeling.

Sauske had no real interest in such things, especially with girls that went out of their way of developing their own strengths and skills, just to waste their time trying to get him to feel some attraction towards them. He'd let them know of his disinterest, except that they would always take it as some challenge to try harder, so he just learned to ignore them.

Not that it's helped him much into putting it all to a stop.

"You've got this Sauske."

"Sauske, You're the best!"

"Sauske, maybe they'll put us on the same team. We'd be unstoppable." This comment came from Ino Yamanaka, one of the clan heiresses in the class.

"Dream on Ino-pig. If anyone is going to be on the same team as him, it's me. I'm top kunoich." This came from Sakura Haruno, a long time rival of Ino in terms of the battle for Sauske's heart. True to her word, she was in fact one of the top students, despite coming from a civilian family.

"You're one to talk forehead. In case you've forgotten, there's someone else with a better chance at that than you." Ino retorts.

"Hinata hasn't won that yet. I can still take it." Sakura replies aggressively. And so begins another annoying squabble between the two rival fan girls that Sauske must endure.

_'Why me?' _

The classroom door slides open to reveal Hinata Hyuga. Just as there's top shinobi for the boys, there's top kunoich for the girls, and she is the top candidate for that position. Her hair has grown long enough to reach her shoulders and tied in a ponytail. She wore a light lavender battle kimono that was sleeveless and reached her thighs, a lavender sash tied around her waist, black pants and white baggy sleeves that went from her elbows to her wrists.

"Good mourning Hinata." One boy happily told her.

"Good mourning." She replies while heading up to her seat.

"Good luck on the exam Hinata." Another shouted.

"You as well." She replies.

It wouldn't be far of to say that Hinata is the female equivalent of Sauske in class, including having to deal with admirers from the opposite sex, especially since the boys began to notice how more...physically developed... she was than the other girls, and also the fact that she was the only girl in class that didn't show any interest to Sauske had given them more confidence.

Hinata found her seat and sat down. As soon as she did, the boy that was sitting in front of her a row below got up to talk to her.

"Hey Hinata." Kiba Inuzuka, her most forward admirer, greets himself with a toothy grin. His small white dog, Akamaru, was resting on top of his head.

"Good mourning Kiba." Hinata replies. The dog jumped down and landed on her desk, barking out his own greeting to her. Hinata happily petted him on the head, causing the animal to wag his tail in pure joy.

"Good mourning to you to Akamaru." Hinata says to the pup. Although she was certain that it's affection towards her were genuine, she always suspected that it was influenced by Kiba as a way to use his shinobi dog to attract her.

"So you exited about today? I'm not even worried about the exam cause I know that you and I will pass for sure." Kiba boasts while resting his arms on her desk.

"Yes, I'm pretty confident. I'm sure everyone has a good chance of passing." Hinata answers.

"You know, it's not every day we become shinobi I was thinking of going out tonight to celebrate. Interested in joining me?" Kiba asks her with great hope that she'd accept his invitation.

"That sounds like a good idea Kiba, but I'm afraid I might be occupied tonight. My clan has a tradition to celebrate whenever the heir or heiress becomes a shinobi." Hinata explains to him.

Before Kiba could go on to try to convince her any further, the door slides open to reveal another student of high interest, thought not necessarily for the best reasons.

Naruto Uzumaki. A name he choose for himself so that his mother's clan may live on through him, while at the same time rejecting the name of the man who took them from him, and who he swore vengeance against. This was also expressed through his appearance, with how he's kept his blonde hair dyed into the identical red color that his clan was known for. His attire consists of a black t-shirt that had the Uzumaki spiral covering the chest with a dark red jacket left unzipped, black pants that had a strip of white on the left side of his hip with a storage seal in it, and dark blue sandals.

With both his clan gone and the Fourth Hokage out of the village, the villagers unleashed all of their feelings of disdain towards Naruto after all the years they kept it bottled. Some have even taken revelry to his clan's demise, seeing it as poetic justice against the demon that took many of their loved ones. His life has been far from easy as a result, having to put up with how almost everyone in the village tries to inconvenience him in any way they can.

This forced a change in his personality as someone who lives a solitary life, keeps to himself and always wears a stoic expression on his face, a way for him to hide all of his anger and despair from the villagers to deny them of any satisfaction, as far as they were concerned.

Naruto walks in and makes his way to his seat at the top row. The other students simply didn't pay any mind to him, or at least they tried not to show it. Almost everyone in his generation or below have also treated him with disdain as influenced by the older generations after the loss of his clan, still unaware of the true reason behind it all since it remained an s-class secret.

Despite whatever they may think of him, however, they cannot deny that his skills as a shinobi are enough to rival Sauske, even if no one wants to admit it, so out of intimidation, they normally avoid drawing any attention to him.

Naruto took his seat, waiting for the day to start and minding his own business in the meantime. Kiba looked at him with an angered expression.

"I don't know why they'd let him of all people take the exam." He says out loud, unconcerned if Naruto heard him or not.

"Kiba, please don't start." Hinata firmly asks him.

"Oh come on Hinata, you can't tell me..."

"Unlike most people in this village, I don't judge someone on some unbaked rumours, and even if there is some truth to them, it doesn't justify any of their treatment towards him." Hinata argues.

Kiba rarely heard her talk in such a aggravated tone, and he wasn't comfortable with it being directed at him, especially when it was to defend Naruto, which added to his disdain towards him. To avoid any further argument, he simply sat back down in defeat. Akamaru jumps back onto the top of his head.

Hinata turned her head for a quick glimpse of Naruto, and then let out a breath when she turned back to the front.

Her thought's were now on the boy that she's always been fond of from an early age, how much he's suffered from that fateful night and all of the hardships that followed, how much he's changed as a result, and how much sorrow she's been feeling for him since. She has wanted help him in all that time, to provide comfort and ease his pain, but it's been difficult to even approach him when he keeps himself at a distance from everyone, either because he doesn't trust anyone after what his father did, or maybe its to avoid having others being treated in the same harsh manner through association. These are the possible reasons that Hinata assumes anyway, with preference to the latter.

Whatever the case, she cannot blame him for any of it in consideration for the cause, and can only hope that one day he'd overcome all this hardship, and that he would be open to rekindling their friendship.

The door opens to reveal the home room teacher, Iruka Umino alongside his assistant Mizuki who was carrying a stack of paper.

"Good mourning class." Iruka says to all of his students, who have all started to quite it down.

"Well everyone, this is it, the day of your final exams. The day all of your hard work comes to fruition, giving you the oppertunity to earn your forehead protectors, therefore entering the shinobi world." He happily states.

"We'll begin the exams with a written portion, while the rest will be practical assessments of your chakra control, demonstration of the three basic jutsu's, accuracy in shuriken jutsu, and taijutsu. When all of that's done, we will have our voluntary bonus exam, in which those who wish to participate will perform a unique jutsu that you've mastered. A reminder, if this jutsu involves the use of personal weapon that you brought, you're permit to use that weapon only during the exam." Iruka explains to all of his students.

"Alright, lets get to it. Mizuki, if you would."

"Of course Iruka." Mizuki starts handing out the papers in his hand to each of the students.

* * *

The exams have carried out without any hindrance. All of the students have performed exceptionally well, some more in certain areas than others. What surprised the instructors the most was when Naruto performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu during the demonstration of the three basic jutsu's. This was possibly the most advanced cloning technique that there is and one that's rarely mastered due it's high consumption of chakra, marked as a forbidden jutsu for that exact reason. Naruto's Uzumaki heritage allows him to use it with ease while also making up for his lack of chakra control.

Now all of the students were outside at the academy training grounds for the bonus exam, one final opportunity to finish with a higher score than what they have now. Most of the students who've participated were some of the clan heirs, using jutsu's that were limited to their respective clans.

"Hinata Hyuga." Iruka calls out her name from his clip board. The girl walks up front, all of her fan boys wishing her good luck with Kiba being the loudest of them all.

Mizuki casts an earth jutsu that raises a stone pillar from the ground at a distance, to serve as the target of a student's jutsu. He gives her the go head with a simple nod.

Hinata activates her Byakugan, signified by the bulging veins around her eyes. She spins her body in a counter clockwise rotation, and when completing the turn, delivers a palm strike in midair that exerts a stream of force towards the pilar, powerful enough to break of a chunk of the stone and leave a web of cracks.

Everyone gazed in awe at the display of her jutsu. Naruto felt the same way, despite the cold demeanour that hides it. Living an isolated lifestyle didn't stop him from appreciating what he had before, including his friendship with Hinata, and seeing how far she's gotten makes him feel happy for her.

"That was awesome Hinata." Kiba approaches her.

"Thank you."

"Come up with that yourself?" He inquires.

"Oh no, that was one of the advanced techniques of my clan, the Vacuum Palm." Hinata said.

"Still cool that you can use it." Kiba replies.

The exam went on and more of the participants took their turn.

"Sauske Uchiha."

Saying that name out loud caused almost all of the female students to give their shout out of 'good luck' and 'you're the best' to said student. As usual, Sauske paid no mind to any of them and carried on.

Sauske performs hand seals and then shoots a ball of fire from his mouth towards his target, followed immediately by him throwing a volley of shurikens into the fire. Each of the shuriken were engulfed in flames and their trajectories were altered so that they would hit the target from separate angles, creating explosions of fire upon impact.

"Nicely done Sauske. That was the Phoenix Flower Jutsu, right?" Iruka inquires, recognising it as a signature technique of the Uchiha Clan.

"That's right." He simply answers before walking back to the crowd of students where the girls were screaming at him at what an impressive technique that was.

The remaining participants went on with the examination.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto made his way to Iruka's side. No one said a word to him along the way, to say good luck or otherwise. Just as he would expected.

"Good luck Naruto." Hinata told him out loud. She had been waiting through out the exams for the opportunity to say it, and it was now or never at this point. It was no secret to the class that she only had good intentions for him, but it still surprised everyone a bit to hear how she offered him support. Kiba especially didn't look very happy about it.

Naruto stopped for a moment when he heard her. He doesn't turn around to face her or to talk back, just continues to his destination. Hinata had hoped for a better reaction, but it was enough that her words got through to him.

Naruto begins the exam as soon as he arrives at the spot. He pulls up the right sleeve of his jacket to reveal a metal bracelet that covered his wrist. It has a storage seal on it, but the design looked more complex than the standard version. Naruto activates the seal and summons a sharp-edged chain in his hand with a spear attached to it, protruding from the seal. He manages to project the spear towards the stone pillar whilst the chain extends endlessly, piercing right through it with little resistance.

This would be impressive on it's own, but it doesn't end there. Naruto lifts his arm up and throws it back down with force, creating a wave that travels through the chain, and when it reaches the stone pillar, it easily gets cut in half by the chain.

The rest of the class were stunned by the display. Though there wasn't any direct compliment, it did promote everyone to discuss amongst themselves on how surprisingly interesting that was.

"Wow, that's pretty cool. Didn't expect anything like that." Choji Akamichi says to his long time companion, Shikamaru Nara, with a mouth full of chips from the bag he was currently eating from.

"Not all that surprising if you ask me." Shikamaru replies. His friend looks to him in confusion to his statement.

"His uncle was famous for using a weapon like that." Shikamaru explains further. Choji then decides to leave it at that, not wishing to dwell further in a sensitive topic.

Nauto retracts the spear back to his hand where it gets fully sealed again. The way everyone was reaction to his demonstration of the spear-chain uncovered a memory in his mind of when he first saw the spear-chain himself.

* * *

(Flashback)

A young Naruto was visiting the training field of the Uzumaki clan for on of his sessions with his uncle Satoshi, the current head of the clan. His hair was shoulder-length and had the same iconic red color as his kin, accompanied with a small goatee. He wore a short-sleeved dark-green haori that showed of his muscular arms and baggy black pants. His right arm has the same bracelet with the more complex storage seal that Naruto wears today.

"Alright Naruto. Today we'll begin your training in Chakra Nature." Satoshi states.

"Nature? You mean like with plants and stuff?" Naruto asks, causing his to lightly chuckle at his childish question.

"Kind of. When we talk about nature, there are a number of different ways to describe it. In terms of jutsu, it means converting our chakra to mimic the nature of one of the five elements that make up our world; fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. This allows us to cast jutsus that create and control one of these elements." Satoshi explains.

"Oh cool. One time, I saw Sauske's big brother spit out this huge ball of fire. I wanna learn how to do that." Naruto says excitingly.

"Really? Those that mean that Itachi is more impressive than me now, the man who taught you the shadow clone jutsu?" Satoshi asks in a serious tone as h crosses his arms.

"Uh, well uh..." Naruto tried to respond nervously .

"If that's the case...Then I'll just have to outshine him with an ever greater jutsu." Satoshi tells him in a lighter tone, the change of expression a means of being playful with his young nephew.

Satoshi raises his right arm towards the three wooden training dummies that were placed in a far distance, and shoots his spear-chain from the seal on his bracelet. The spear penetrates through the dummy on left without losing momentum. It's trajectory then changes so that the spear heads for the middle dummy from behind, once again going through with the same amount of force, and finally the last dummy when the chain curves upwards and moves until it impales the ground. Once the demonstration ended, Satoshi extracts the chain back to his while effortlessly ripping through the dummies, leaving enough of it out that he can hold the spear in his hand.

"Whoa. Is that a metal jutsu?" Naruto's eyes remain attached to the powerful, uniquely shaped weapon in his uncle's hand.

"Not exactly. Yes, I was able to control the chain, but that was because I was controlling the wind around it. That's the element that I have an attribute for." Satoshi states. He sees his nephew having a expression indicating he doesn't understand something, no doubt the meaning behind attribute, so he goes into more detail.

"Every shinobi has an attribute for one of the five elements, making that particular element the easiest one for them to master and should begin with that. They can learn to master different elements afterwards, but it gets more difficult. Attributes are also one of the common traits that are passed along within shinobi clans. Just about everyone in the Uzumaki have an attribute for wind like me, and as you saw from Itachi, fire for the Uchiha. Having the wind element is also how we became masters of the sword."

"What do you mean by that Uncle?"

Satoshi bends down ands rips out a blade of grass. His spear chain was pointing straight by his jutsu and allows the grass to lightly fall on the chain where it gets cut in half upon contact, despite its lack of edge.

"Each element has their own unique characteristic when they're used in a jutsu. Wind is best used for its cutting power, as if the wind is shaped like a blade."

"The wind around my spear-chain not only lets me control its trajectory, but sharpens it so that it can easily pierce and cut through my targets, like those dummies just now. It's also a common practice to combine wind element with other sharp weapons to make them even sharper, something that our clan is proficient in doing with our swords, thus our skills in kenjutsu, and in the hands of an Uzumaki, no other sword is sharper."

"Wow, our clan is awesome. Hey uncle, where did you get that cool looking spear-chain?" Naruto eagerly asks him.

"I had it specially made for me. I came up with the idea to use it from one of the rarest abilities in our clan, the adamantine sealing chains. Those who've inherited the technique can mould their chakra into unbreakable chains that can even suppress the chakra of those caught in them. In the shinobi world, it's the ultimate technique when it comes to capture and containment."

"Really?"

"That's right. Your mother actually inherited that technique." Satoshi tells him. A new expression grew on Naruto's face, another one that his uncle could easily read.

"I already know what you're thinking Naruto, and I'm sorry to say, but it's not likely for you to have it, just because of your mother." He reveals the hard truth to him, breaking any hope that was building up inside. Satoshi then placed a hand on his shoulder which got him to look up to him.

"Tell you what thought, whether or not you do have it, I'd be happy to teach you my technique so that you can use the spear-chain yourself." Satoshi says to raise his spirit again.

Thank you Uncle. I definitely want to learn that over the fireball jutsu." Naruto happily replies.

"Anytime Naruto." Satoshi was glad to have won his nephew over, even if it did start out as a joke.

(Flashback End)

* * *

His uncle died in the massacre before he could finish his training, the rest he had to figure out on his own, difficult as it was.

After that life altering event, all of the Uzumaki Clan's assets and property have been held by the village until Naruto meets the conditions for him to claim them as his own. A few items were already granted to him for sentimental values, and he made sure that his uncle's signature weapon would be one of them, for both the memory it holds and to help him get stronger.

* * *

The day came to an end for the academy, and for the senior class, they can happily mark it as their final day of attending, because they have all finished their exams with a passing grade and can now call themselves shinobi of konoha. The graduates all left the building to be meet with their families that have been waiting outside, ready to give them praise for their accomplishment as the graduates showed of their newly earned forehead protectors.

Sauske meet with his mother Mikoto and his older brother Itachi, a well regarded prodigy of his generation, so much so that he was the youngest to have ever graduated from the academy.

"Well done honey. Your father would be here if he could, but I promise, he'll be just as proud of you when he hears you got top shinobi, and so will the rest of our clan." Mikoto tells her youngest son.

While he didn't doubt her words, it helped little to overcome the feeling of disappointment that his father wouldn't take the time to come and praise him like the rest of his family, even considering how much his duties kept him occupied at times.

"Well done little brother. At this rate, I'm sure you'll be one of Konoha's greatest Shinobi." Itachi told him. Sauske was delight to hear his big brother complimenting him, but at the same time, it reminded him of the reason for his distraught.

For as long as he could remember, Sauske looked up to Itachi, practically worshipping him. At one point however, after all the times he was easily overlooked in favour of his brother, he started to see him as an obstacle to surpass, in strength as well as recognition. His father's current absence was a bump in the road, but he was determined to meet his goal one day.

"Whatever you say big brother."

Hinata was having a similar moment with her family. She stood before her parents, Lord Hiashi and Lady Harumi, and her younger sister Hanabi. Even her elder cousin Neji was present, who just last year had graduated as top shinobi.

"Excellent work Hinata. You've proven to be amongst the strongest and most capable of shinobi. This is not only a reflection of yourself, but of the clan as well. We are especially proud." Hiashi tells his eldest daughter.

"Thank you father. It was yours and mother's guidance that helped me to reach this." Hinata humbly responds to her father's praise as she slightly bows down.

"That may be, but it was your efforts that brought you here and that's what matters most. You should be proud of that Hinata." Harumi tells her.

"Way to go big sis. I knew those other girls couldn't keep up with you." Hanabi complements her sister in her boisterous way, earning a light chuckle from the elder sister.

"Yes, congratulations Lady Hinata. I am honoured that I may serve alongside you as a shinobi of Konohagakure." Neji bows down as he praises her acomplishment.

"Thank you Neji. I have you to thank as well from all of our training together, and I to would be honoured to serve alongside you." Hinata returns the bow.

"What were they thinking, letting that thing become a shinobi?"

Hniata overhears from a displeased parent and looks in the same direction as him to find what she had expected.

Naruto was the only student without any adult who came to see him, so he was simply passing through the crowd. Only a few adults gave disdainful glances towards him while the rest were focused on their own children.

Hinata had a sorrow expression as she sees him walk away. She was happy for him that he passed as well, but he had no one to commemorate with, and she's reminded that unless they'll be placed in the same genin team, she won't be seeing him as often anymore, now that they've completed their time at the academy.

This time, she wasn't alone. Harumi's action and behaviour were identical to her eldest daughter, the sight of her departed friend's child uncovering her own feelings of sorrow for him.

_'Oh Naruto...'_

* * *

(Flashback)

It was nearly dawn when both Hiashi and Harumi were awakened by a servant Hyuga member. They were meet with a messenger shinobi sent to inform Hiashi of an emergency council meeting regarding the recent massacre of the Uzumaki clan at the hands of the Fourth Hokage. Besides the overwhelming sorrow for the loss of her dearest friend, Harumi's thoughts were on Naruto's well being. Thankfully, the messenger had specific instructions from the Third Hokage to inform her that he's currently at the hospital, knowing that she would go to comfort him.

Before her immediate departure, Harumi woke up Hinata and brought her along for better support, both rushing with equal drive to go see Naruto as soon as possible. Upon arriving at the hospital, Harumi activates her Byakugan to locate Naruto's chakra signature instead of wasting time asking around. Heading towards his room, they were meet with a few ANBU guarding the door, one of whom Harumi can easily identify without the need of her dojutsu.

"Lady Harumi." The ANBU with the dog mask approached her.

"Kakashi. Naruto, is he..."

"Please, go right in. I'd join you, but I figured I'm one of the last people he'd want to see right now, considering my personal ties with...you know who." Kakashi explained.

Harumi nods her head to him and then walks in the room with Hinata. Upon entering, they both saw Naruto sitting on the edge of the hospital bed with no indication that he's aware of their presence, though it's to be expected in his current state.

His head was hunched over so that he may look down at the palm of his hands, where he held a round pendant with the whirlpool symbol of his clan, something that he found when he woke up, left to him as a memento of the loved ones he's lost. He puts no effort into holding back the tears that were rolling down his cheeks and falling right on the pendant.

The sight almost brought Hinata to tears, until she could no longer stand to just watch him in this state.

"Naruto!"

She rushed towards him to throw her arms around his waist while her head was pressed to his stomach. Naruto was caught of guard, but he welcomed the embrace and did his best to return it from his sitting position. Harumi made her own approach to him, placing her hands on his shoulders and lowering herself to be at face level with him.

"Oh Naruto, I'm so very sorry for all this horror that you are facing." Harumi expressed her deepest sympathy and pulls him in for her own embrace, not interfering with the one he has with Hinata. Naruto only continued to pour out his grief in the comfort of her embrace.

"They can never be replaced, but I promise you, you'll never be alone. You will always have a place amongst the Hyuga." Harumi assured him.

(Flashback End)

* * *

She meant every word she said to him that day, but unfortunately, powers above have prevented her from acting on it. This forced Naruto to live on his own since then, which forced her to live with worry for his well being, as well as the regret of making a promise she couldn't keep.

_'Kushina. I can only hope that you may forgive me.' _

Evening had struck Konoha, and the village is no less livelier than it was earlier in the day. For some venues, it was a time when they are at their most active. This included a small but well known ramen stand called Ichiraku Ramen, owned and runed by a man named Teuchi and his daughter Ayame.

Teuchi was currently working on boiling some noodles in the kitchen.

"The usual old man." Teuchi heard from behind.

The voice already sounded familiar to him, leaving unsurprised to find a frequent customer of his sitting down, a young man with a blank expression and unruly long black hair and black clothing.

"To start with, I'm assuming." Teuchi said in amusement, recognising this particular customers appetite for ramen despite his appearance, so much that he rarely settles for just one serving.

"We'll see after the first bowl." The young man replied.

"Coming up." Teuchi went to work on preparing his order.

Eventually, he left a bowl of miso ramen in front of the young man, who thanked him and began eating it.

"Haven't seen you in a little while." Teuchi said to start a conversation.

"Sorry about. I've been busy." The young man responded between consumptions.

"Oh no, it's no bother at all. I'm used to that sort of feeling, believe me." Teuchi stated.

"How so?" The young man asks. Teuchi lets out a breath before answering.

"There's someone that I've been missing a lot more for a while now, a certain boy that I haven't seen in years. Always had rough life since birth, but would still brighten up this place every time he came by. And no one loved to eat ramen more than him. Not even you." Teuchi explained.

"Sounds like he was your best costumer." The young states, knowing full well who he was talking about from his description.

"He certainly was." Techi said with glee. His expression then soured.

"But then tragedy struck him one night, changed his life for the worst and I haven't seen him since. Not that I can blame him in anyway, but still, I would like to see him again. Let him know that he's always welcomed here, for more than just ramen of course."

The young man stopped serving for a moment when he heard him say that.

"Well enjoy your own ramen. Let me know if you want more." Teuchi went back to his work and left his customer to eat in peace.

The young man was getting close to finishing his meal, when a pair of shinobi took the seats next to him. One had blonde neck-length hair, the other had medium brown hair and beard.

"So we good?" The blonde asks the brunette.

"Oh yeah. Our friend in the police force has us covered, no one will know we're there. You have the note?" The brunette inquires. The blonde pulls out a scroll from one of the pockets on his vest.

"Right here. That demon won't resist coming to us." The blonde stated. The young man paused for a moment, drawn in to their conversation, but kept himself from turning his head towards them so as to not let them know that he was listening. In this village, if someone utters the word demon, it always means the same thing.

"I still can't believe they allowed that thing to still attend the academy, let alone become a shinobi of all things. It made sense when lord fourth was around, he thought it was his son, but lord third should've known better. He either felt to sorry for it, or old age got to him, or both." The blonde states unsatisfied as he puts the scroll back in his pocket. For the young man, this confirms what he already suspected.

"I know what you mean. The higher-ups have been playing with our lives, giving it way to much freedom. You just know it'll stab us in the back first chance it gets, just like how his treacherous clan would have." The brunette adds to the conversation with equal distaste.

"Good thing he'll never get that chance. Not after tonight." The blonde reassured him, raising both of their spirits to what they plan on doing after having something to eat.

"Hey old man, two bowls of pork ramen." The brunette calls for Teuchi.

A few minutes later, Teuchi placed two bowls in front of the shinobis. He turns to where the young man was sitting, surprised to find that he had already left, leaving some money under the empty bowl.

_'Strange. He never left before without at least saying goodbye.' _

* * *

The young man was walking through a narrow alleyway, obscured from public view. He stops midway from the other end and let out a deep breath.

"Just what I needed." He says to himself.

An explosion of smoke emerges from his feet and surrounds him. The smoke fades away to reveal Naruto in place of the young man, having dispelled a transformation jutsu.

Adapting to the harsh life he's been living, he founded it necessary to sometimes wear a disguise, such as when entering stores that would've kicked him out immediately, if he wasn't just sold only the bad products or overcharged at ridiculous amounts. In this case, it was to spare Teuchi from having to suffer from the villagers' wrath because of him.

Just as he's been called the demon, the villagers would often refer to the Uzumaki as demon worshippers, for when they treated him as one of their own and protected him from the rest of the village, and they were hated just as much as he was for it, something he realized after learning the truth about Nine-tails inside of him. Since then, Naruto couldn't help but to direct the blame at himself, filling him with feelings of guilt and regret. Therefore, he adopted a life of solitude to avoid inflicting the same fate on to the people he has left.

"Better let him know."

Naruto performs a hand sign to create a shadow clone of himself. The clone nods his head to the original and the two walk in the opposite directions.

* * *

The two shinobi were traversing through out the Uzumaki District. It was made a restricted area since the massacre of the clan that occupied it, and they would be charged if they were seen within it, which is why they sought help from a sympathizer in the Uchiha Police Force, who provided assistance by tampering with the surveillance cameras in that area whilst he was on monitor duty.

"Man, I don't think I've ever seen a part of the village this deserted." The blonde shinobi states .

"Yeah, this whole district is nothing but a huge waste of space. They should just tear it down and make something useful out of it for the village." The brunette replies.

"Maybe they will, once we get rid of that demon."

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither is the district."

The two stopped in their track upon hearing a third voice, anxious at the possibility of being caught. The answer as to who the voice belonged to landed in front of them, Naruto Uzumaki, the very object of their hatred.

"Well this saves us a lot of trouble. Good as place as any to get the job done." The blonde shinobi happily tells his partner, who nods in agreement.

"This area belongs to my clan, and of limits to outsiders by village law, so get lost!" Naruto argues with them.

"Or what demon? Think you'll live to tell about it?" The blonde shinobi retorts.

"I've been training to fight against someone a hell of a lot stronger than you two nobodies. I'm not going to let you or anyone else defeat me before that." Naruto states.

"As if you have any chance against Lord Fourth. The only reason he never finished the job was because of the delusions that your were his kid. You probably even took advantage of that for your own survival." The brunette says to him. The blonde pulls out a scroll that had a storage seal on it, from which he summons a sword that he now holds in his hand.

"In honour of Lord Fourth and all the lives you took, we will end you demon, here and now!" The blonde boldly states while pointing the sword towards him. Naruto's reply was simply the gesture of getting ready for a battle.

Both sides stood still, waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, the brunette shinobi threw a kunai towards Naruto with rapid speed. His left hand was next to the storage seal on his hip from where he summons his own sword, griping it in a downward angle and swings it to deflect the kunai, leaving it impaled to the wall on his right. He noticed something attached to the kunai, so he turned his head to find that it's paper bomb.

The brunette shinobi performs a hand sign. The paper bomb ignites, leaving smoke that covered the area that Naruto stood in. The two were starting to feel victorious, believing that he got caught in the blast, until a spear-chain shoots out from the smoke and passes in between them, faster than they can react. They turn to see the spear piercing the ground behind them. They look back to where it originated from and saw Naruto heading towards them in midair, being pulled by the chain as he retracts in his right hand. He swings his sword at the blonde shinobi when he gets close enough, who was able to block it with his own, but was still meet with a force that knocked him to the ground.

As soon as his feet touch the ground, the brunette throws a volley of shuriken towards him. Naruto pulls out his spear-chain from the ground and swings it around his back in an upward motion, creating a stream of wind that blew away the projectiles. He turns around to face the brunette while twirling his spear chain around by his side.

The brunette pulls out a kunai in both hands and rushes towards him. Naruto lets go of the spear-chain so that it's projected at his opponent, who dodges it by jumping over it. Being upside down while in the air, he gets ready to throw his kunais at Naruto as soon as he's right above him. Before he got the chance however, Naruto turns around and swings his chain arm above his head, the chain following in an almost straight line and hits the shinobi above him, slamming him to the grounds with a powerful force that left a dent on the ground, causing him enough pain that kept him from getting up. Naruto retracts the spear to his hand.

The blonde shinobi falls towards him from above, attempting to strike Naruto with a downward slash. Sensing the attack coming, Naruto holds his sword horizontally above him with both hands to block the attack. The blonde shinobi maintains pressure on the blade to hold Naruto in position. He uses this chance to take out a kunai to stab him from behind. Naruto was able to react faster by shooting the spear-chain around his body to hit his opponent in an uppercut motion, forcing him to flip backwards.

From up above, the spear curves to follow the blonde, who jumps back even further as the spear hits the ground. Naruto quickly retracts it and fires it straight at him while he's in the air. The blonde managed to deflect it with his sword as soon as he lands, but it did not stop its motion as it changes it's trajectory to encircle the shinobi a couple of times and then plant itself to the ground, allowing Naruto to tighten the chain around him as he pulls it back, ensnaring the shinobi.

While the blonde struggled to free himself, Naruto was getting ready for his next attack. He retracts the chain to make himself fly towards the ensnared shinobi, delivering his left knee to impact his face. The blonde shinobi blew up in smoke and in his place was a wooden log covered with explosive tags.

Acting on impulse, Naruto does a one handed seal to shoot wind from his mouth, pushing him upwards and away from the incoming explosion. He was still mildly caught in the blast, the force causing him to drop his sword. The blonde shinobi jumps up to strike him, successfully impaling him, only for Naruto to dissipate in smoke.

_'__A clone.'__  
_  
The blonde was then meet with the real Naruto who grabbed his falling sword to deliver an attack in a similar style. The blonde managed to block the attack and then push each other away, both of them landing on rooftops on opposite sides of the street. Naruto runs from rooftop to rooftop, the blonde following to remain parallel with him, both of them maintaining eye contact.

Back on the ground, the Brunette was able to overcome enough of the pain to lift himself on his feet. He notices his companion moving away in a distance, along side their enemy, seeing it as an ideal opportunity to carry out their original plan. While his ally keeps him distracted in combat, he would execute a jutsu that would entrap Naruto, giving his ally an opening to deliver a critical strike. He moves forward to catch up to them, unaware that he's about to become a victim in a similar tactic.

An unsuspected shadow clone was watching him from a rooftop. He was holding a piece of paper that had a seal on it, which was then carried by a light current of wind he made with his jutsu, finding its way to the back of the brunette. Upon contact, the writing on the seal expanded and surrounded his body.

"What the..."

The brunette couldn't help but fall on his knees when he suddenly felt his body being restrained. The clone dispelled itself, having completed its task.

The two sword wielders kept a distance between each other, having landed back down in a much more open area. They eventually rush towards the other and continued to clash their blades in a series of strikes and blocks. They seemed to be evenly match, but then Naruto began to push back his opponent, making him over the advantage he was getting.

As soon as they came to a pause when their blades were pressing against each other, the blonde shinobi took out a few smoke bombs and threw them to the ground, creating a smoke screen that obscured both of them. He jumps high up in the air, from where he throws a wide range of exploding kunai in the blinding smoke below and immediately ignites them.

He lands down and searches for any remains of Naruto within the scattered smoke to no avail.

Naruto has a clear view of his opponent from behind. He fires his spear-chain at him, only for it to go through him without any effect except for the reveal that the blonde in question wasa genjutsu. Naruto senses him coming from behind and turns to swing his blade at him. Another genjutsu clone.

Once again the blonde comes at him from behind. Naruto flips up above him and attacks with the spear chain, and once again it was the product of a genjutsu.

Naruto then finds multiple clones surrounding him, all looking like there about to attack at the same time, and no doubt the real one was hidden amongst them since Naruto wouldn't know which one to defend against. Each genjutsu clone came running towards him and their blades went through him. Only the one on his five o'clock stood out, when his blade was blocked by a barrier of wind that Naruto was able to conjure all around him. The wind caused an upward force strong enough to throw the blonde's sword out of his hand.

Naruto delivers a slashing motion to the now located shinobi, who jumps away in a hastened decision. He was high in the air, leaving him vulnerable to Naruto's spear-chain, which has stabbed through his right shoulder, pushing him further back as he screams in pain. Naruto thrusts the chain downwards to slam him to the ground, and then retracts it to pull him closer, the shinobi's face meeting with the hilt of Naruto's wind enhanced sword, causing his body to flip backwards before hitting the ground.

The blonde struggled to raise enough of his upper body to place his left hand over the bleeding stab wound. Naruto stands next to him, placing his blade next to his fallen opponent's neck.

"It's over."

Naruto was pretty confident in his victory, but that unfortunately left his guard down for something unexpected to occur. The earth beneath him rose up and trapped both of his feet. Afterwards, more of the earth shot up to his neck, encasing his body and immobilizing him.

The blonde turned his head to witness what was happing to him, recognizing it as his partner's jutsu that they planned on using.

"Quick do it now!"

The blonde looks to where that came from and sees the brunette limp running towards him. He exactly what he meant and took action. He grabs Naruto's sword, since it drop next to him when Naruto was encased and his was lost, and got back on his feet to get some distance infront of him, despite the pain. He throws the sword high up so that he'd be free to do some hand signs, and when he grabs the sword again as it falls, lightning is conducted within the blade.

He charges towards him and pierces the sword right through Naruto's abdomen with ease. Naruto's face had the shocking expression of getting stabbed, and then the lightning in the sword channels through out all of his body, causing him to scream out in pain. The blonde lets this go on until he notices the earth shell was starting to crack, so he jumps back before it explodes in pieces, allowing Naruto to fall to his knees and hold on the blade that was still impaled in him.

"Sorry that took long. Little bastard somehow put a seal on me. I had to substitute my way out." The brunette tells his partner as soon as he catches up.

"No worries. We're almost done here." The blonde assures him. He slowly approaches Naruto and grabs the hilt of the sword, pulling it upwards in an angle before removing it out of him, adding more to the pain that he was already suffering.

Naruto bends down in hopes to cover the stab wound as best as he could. The brunette took this as an invitation to deliver a kick to his head, seeing it lowered to the same level as their feet, with enough force to knock him on his back. The two shinobi now stand above him on both sides, ready to finish it.

"You put up a good fight demon, but in the end, you were outmatched and outnumbered." The blonde states.

"More importantly, justice was on our side, and it's waited long enough for you." The brunette adds.

The blonde twists the sword in his hand to hold it upside, aiming it directly above his heart.

"NOW DIE!"

He thrusts the sword down with all of his remaining strength.

Naruto's eye's and mouth opened widely when the blade went through his heart. His head and arms were arched

The two were filled with accomplishment when they looked down, having done what Konohagakure had prayed to happen for over a decade. That feeling was short lived however, when the body exploded in smoke, leaving behind the sword that now stuck to the ground.

"Count again."

The two turn around to find Naruto standing behind them. He does a hand seal and summons an army of shadow clones surrounding his opponents. The two were shocked to see so many clones all around them. It's sparked the idea that he was holding back the whole time.

The inner most clones performed the same set of hand seals that allowed them to shoot a stream of wind from their mouths to the ground, all linking together in a ring around the two which then rose up to create a tornado. The shinobi got caught in the force of the wind and were flying uncontrollably. The remaining clones all jumped in and were floating much more gracefully and orderly in the air. Whenever one of the shinobi got close enough to a clone, it would attack him hard enough to send him flying in a direction that would lead to another clone, only to repeat the process. Each clone dealt a variety of attacks, a game-like tactic to deliver a large amount of damage to the enemy while they had little to no control of the environment.

After some time, the clones creating the tornado dispelled when their chakras were exhausted from the jutsu. The wind died down and the clones all landed back down on their feet while the two shinobi simply fell down after already being beaten and bruised. All of the remaining clones dispelled themselves, safe for two that got behind the beaten shinobi and wrapped their spear-chains around them for restraint, pulling them both in an upward kneeling position. Naruto goes and removes his sword from the ground and puts it back in the seal on the side of his hip. He then stands in front of his defeated opponents.

"I could've finished this fight allot earlier. I just didn't think you were worth the effort." He tells them, whether to assure them of his strength or to spite them, the later being more evident from their angered expression. He then approaches the blonde shinobi and pulls out the scroll that was mentioned back at Ichiraku Ramen from one of his vest pockets.

He opens the scroll it to read its content, revealing it to be a message stating that the Uzumaki Memorial Stone had been destroyed and the ones responsible would wait for him at a certain time and place. Most of the writing was meant to be provocative, insulting both him and his family name so as to enrage him into going through with it, and it was clear that some effort was put into having that effect.

There was a small seal at the bottom right of the paper, and as soon Naruto observes it, it activates to burn it all to ash almost instantly, but he was able to let go of it before it burned in his hand.

"So you were going to destroy the Uzumaki Memorial to provoke me into coming after you two, making it look like you were just defending yourselves. You even used a Paper Burner Seal to get rid of the evidence." Naruto assess their plan.

"Pretty well thought out, but like I said, I refuse to die from the likes you." He walks closer and grabs them both by their throats to pulls them closer to him as he bends down, making it easier for them to hear what he's about to say, and harder for them to interrupt him.

"Whatever you feel, whatever you're dead-set on believing just to support that feeling, and whatever it kills you to do, you or any other shithead in this entire village, I couldn't possibly care any less, especially when it gets in the way of my own goal. As long as I have that to achieve, I will never let you have your way with me."

He lets go and walks back while the two were catching their breaths.

"I hope I was clear enough, because I wasted enough time, so I'm just gonna turn you in now."

This earned a smirk from the Blonde.

"Go right ahead demon. You think anyone in this village is going to take your word over ours? Yeah, we did take make some precautions, but we don't really have much to worry about. No one in the village will ever forget what you really are, and that will always be enough." The Blonde smugly explains to him.

"That's right. You might have protection from the Hokage, but even he can't do much for you without any evidence to back it up. You got nothing that'll prevent you from looking like you attacked us." The Brunette says further to support his partner's statement.

"Don't raise any hope for that outcome." A new voice interjects, much to the two's shock that they been caught by an outside party.

A group of shinobi made their presence known by jumping in the scene. They wore the standard uniform for Konoha shinobi, only they had an insignia of a fan within a four-pointed blue star, signifying them as members of the Uchiha Police Force. One of them was standing next to Naruto, the most recognisable out of all of them, due partially to his eye patch.

Shisui Uchiha.

"Naruto informed us of the situation ahead of time and asked us to remain on stand by while he personally dealt with you. We witnessed everything, how you two knowingly entered a restricted area with the intent of vandalising a monumental piece of the village, and then attacking Naruto, who was clearly the one defending himself, and who had recently became a genin, therefore chargeable under assault on a fellow shinobi. You two have plenty to answer for." Shisui explained.

The realization of their failure to execute their personal mission as well as avoid the consequences had filled the two shinobi with rage. In a final attempt to get to Naruto, the brunette started to spout out something derogative.

"Listen here demon, you'll never get what you want. You're treacherous clan will die with you, without the vengeance it never deserved, because you'll never defeat..."

Shisui stopped him from finishing his sentence by activating his remaining sharingan eye and placed him and his companion in a genjutsu that rendered them in a docile state. He orders his subordinates to have them taken away. The clones dispel themselves to allow the police to carry their task

"Thanks again Shisui." Naruto expresses his gratitude to him, one of the few people in the village that he can depend on.

"Don't mention it Naruto. I figured this was the last thing wanted to happen today after your graduation. Congratulations by the way, you probably didn't hear that as much as you should've." Shisui tells him, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

"Nothing I'm not used to. See you around." Naruto leaves the scene to head home.

Shisui kept his eyes on him as he walks away, a familiar sight that's part of a familiar set of events, some villager would make a move on Naruto, he'd have to come deal with it, and then Naruto would leave as soon as it was all over. A tedious occurrence, but one Shisui is dedicated to handle for Naruto's sake as one of his few sympathizers.

* * *

An elderly man was walking down a catwalk, cane in hand, in an underground lair beneath the village. What stands out the most in his appearance are the bandages that covers his right eye, as well as a good portion of the right side of his head, an x-shaped scar on his chin, and a back rob in which his right arm was concealed.

In front of him appears a man who instantly bows down to one knee. His body is covered in a black hooded rob and his face hid behind a white mask with markings meant to resemble animal features.

"Report, Wolf." The bandaged man orders.

"The mission has failed Lord Danzo. The two chunnins were on their way to execute their plan, but somehow the jinchuriki caught wind of it, and intercepted them within the Uzumaki district. He fought against them both, and despite being outnumbered and outranked, he proved to be stronger than them and won the battle." The ANBU agent states.

"And the switch? Was there no opening to implement it?" Danzo inquires.

"I'm afraid not Lord Danzo. Members of the Uchiha Police Force stood in hiding until the battle had concluded, when they revealed themselves to arrest the chunnins. Shisui Uchiha was amongst them." Wolf replied.

The knowledge of Shisui's involvement in the matter was enough for Danzo to accept his agent's retreat as a justifiable act.

"Very well Wolf, you are dismissed." Danzo releases him, who used a transportation technique ... He turns around and makes his way back.

Danzo Shimura is a village elder with an unquestionable sense of loyalty for Konoha, wanting nothing more then what's most beneficial to the village. For this purpose, he has founded the organisation known as Root, a subdivision of ANBU made carry out missions he believes are necessary, regardless of how dark the nature in how they are carried.

One life long task of Root has been the capture of the Jinchuriki, so that he may mould it into the ideal weapon that he knew only existed to serve the village above all else. What's made this task difficult over the years was the protection from the Hokage, both the Third and the Fourth. Any attempts at his capture could only be done in the same manner as all Root operations, covert and in secrecy, and having the Jinchuriki under constant surveillance from the Hokage's forces has gotten in the way.

Recent events have been the latest in that endeavour, when they discovered the plot of the two chunnins and tried to take advantage of it, by manipulating the outcome to make it look like they had succeeded, when in fact they'd have replaced him with a deceased clone made to fake his death while Naruto remains in Danzo's possession.

Fortunately for Naruto, he prevailed and now Danzo is forced to move on.

'Everything finds their proper place in the world, or they will be forced into it. You are no exception Jinchuriki, I will have you as the weapon you were made to be.'

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it. Considering how long this was taking me, I may have rushed it a bit in a few areas. The fight sequence was probably the trickiest.**

**Please leave a review, good or bad. **


	3. Moving Forward Part 1

**Hey everyone, been awhile. Once again, this chapter came out alot later that I hoped it would, due to a number of distractions and preoccupations in my life, the ongoing epidemic having been factored in. I tried to get something done as soon as possible, because I wanted to take a break from this fanfic. **

**For awhile, I've been giving alot of though to a couple of other fanfics of mine, possibly even a new one, and I've decide to work on those next.**

**Having uploaded this chapter as fast as I could, I decided to split the content into either two or three parts. This first part might be something of a cliff hanger, but I did make it so that it would include a big piece of the drama, hopefully enough to warrant some reviews, both good and bad.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Moving Forward Part 1**

Hiruzen Sarutobi, The third Hokage of Konohagaukure, had just been through another tedious, work filled night that his position often demands him to endure, this particular night being contributed by this year's recent graduates from the academy. Adding to this night was a visit from Shisui Uchiha. Already knowing what the nature of the visit would be, Shisui confirmed the Hokage's suspicion by reporting in the latest incident regarding Naruto that occurred not even an hour ago.

"Has Naruto been injured?" Hiruzen asks the question that's always been first on his mind, once Shisui finished explaining.

"No Lord, no need to worry. He was well enough to walk away, and given how fast he heals, he'd have probably recovered by now, like it was nothing." Shisui response with reassurance.

"Have there been signs of his 'tenant' present?" The other question that would always follow.

"None that I could see." Shisui response reluctantly, given the sensitivity of the question.

"And the two Chunnins?"

"Both were a bit roughed up, but nothing serious. It looked to me like he was being careful not go over what would've been suitable for self-defense. I'd imagine he's learned that from experience." Shisui states. It's situations like these that the village would try to interpret in any way that could be used against Naruto, something he would know by now to be cautious of.

"Yes, I'd imagine that as well. Since you've seen him in combat, can you give me an assessment of his skills?" Hiruzen inquires.

"Yes Lord third, part of the reason why he asked to handle it himself. Definitely more skilled than a fresh Genin, even if those two were overconfident. He's become adept in the use of Shadow clones, being able to incorporate them into his fighting style, which emulates the style of jutsu of his clan, having mastered Kenjutsu and wind nature. He even used a seal to immobilize one of his opponents. Most notable of all however was his use of his uncle's unique weapon, which he seems to have mastered it quite well. At this point, I'd say Naruto's kept good on his word that the Uzumaki lives on."

The Hokage took a moment to think on the evaluation of Naruto's prowess in the shinobi arts, putting his mind at ease now that the boy has the strength to defend himself, but at the same time, for reasons he's not proud of, remains wary of him.

"Thank you again Shisui. For all of your support on his behalf. If there's nothing more, then you're dismissed. " Hiruzen releases Shisui from his office.

"Thank you lord. I still have a police member to process for insubordination. My night is only just starting." Shisui states as he walks out, using a tone that made his lack of enthusiasm evident.

Once he was left alone again, the Hokage let out a heavy breath. He raises himself from his seat and turns around to look out the window, taking in the view of the village under his same village that he would give his life for without second thought, even with all of the conflicting emotions that they're causing him to endure. This latest incident against Naruto serves as another reminder to all of this.

He had always been taught to love Konohagakure with his heart and soul, to view and cherish all its people as his own family, and to ensure that this way of thinking would be a defining trait of the village as a whole. And Yet, for over a decade the people have acted against that believe with their unjust discrimination for the one child that deserved their praises instead.

It was never easy, to contend with his people whilst they go down this path with such passions. They were at least kept at bay before, out of fear for the Uzumaki clan, and more importantly, for his father. With both of them gone now, it was left to Hiruzen to be his prime defender, but his position leaves him with too many restrictions to give Naruto the protection he deserves, having only his law as his means, which is merely an obstacle to maneuver around for those bold enough.

Knowing this has only filled him with feelings of guilt, both because of his lack of ability, as well as his willingness to remain in that position. His duties, believes and principles, have all dictated that this how it must be, to force Naruto to have to endure and preserver through it all, rather than to enforce change on the villagers who were at fault.

The worst of it all, he knew from the beginning what the outcomes would be from his actions, because it was made clear to him in detail.

* * *

(Flashback)

_With Minato leaving behind no successor after fleeing from the village, the only option Hiruzen could see was to have himself reinstated as the ruling Hokage. Already his time had kept him occupied with work and tasks resulting from this transition, eventually leading him to formally visit the Hyuga Clan, in regards to what will be his most difficult task yet. In an emotional sense at least._

_Within the main hall of the Hyuga Clan's estate, the Third Hokage sat on his knees in the middle of the room. In front of him sat Hiashi Hyuga in a similar position, alongside his wife Harumi, and eldest daughter Hinata. On both sides of the hall sat all of the members that made up the main family of the clan, and at the corner of the hall sat two branch members in waiting. What stands out in Hiruzen's eyes however was the surviving heir to the fallen Uzumaki clan, who has since been living under the care of the Hyuga's head family. _

_Naruto was sitting next to Hinata, wearing a traditional robe of his clan's unique style, in respect to the Hyuga clan's ways, as well as a blank and stoic expression on his face. While everyone was looking towards their village leader, Naruto was simply staring towards his front, almost as if he refuses to acknowledge the Hokage's presence. The idea planted some fear in Hiruzen's mind, that the boy might see him in the same light as his father, simply through association of title. A fear that's supported by the knowledge of what he came here to do._

_"Lord Hokage, the Hyuga humbly welcomes you to our estate." Hiashi bows his head to the ground as part of his greeting. His wife and daughter have copied this gesture, and when Naruto turned his head to observe this, he quickly follows suit._

_"I am honored to be welcomed, even more so with the suddenness of this visit. I do hope you may forgive me for that. My return to power has kept me preoccupied, to say the least." Hiruzen returns the gesture to his hosts._

_"Understandable my lord. It was bound to happen, given everything that lead to it." Hiashi replies as he and his family rose back up, trying to be subtle so as to not stirrup any unwanted emotion in Naruto. A good effort, but still, the Hokage could see the boy in question slightly tightening his grip on his robe, having been reminded of his circumstances._

_"Indeed. Before we begin our discussion, I must asked that the children be excused." Hiruzen insists. Hiashi turns his head and gives a nod to one of the branch members, who got up and walked towards the two children._

_"Please come with me Lady Hinata, Lord Naruto." Ko Hyuga escorts the two out of the main hall. Hinata gave a respectful bow before leaving, and once again Naruto imitates the gesture out of respect for the Hyuga. _

_Ko and the children have left the main hall. The Hokage waits for a moment before speaking further._

_"How has he been doing?" His question was directed at the matriarch, who he recognizes to have the most concern for Naruto._

_"As can be expected my lord. So far, all we could do is stay by his side, assuring him that he still has loved ones who care for him. Hinata has had that effect most of all, and that may be enough for now." Harumi explains with with a bit of unease._

_"Very good. The knowledge that he's in good care might just be the light in these dark times, even if it's a small dwindling flame." The Hokage states. His expression then drops to a sadden one. _

_"Sadly thought, we can't always keep a flame from being extinguished, despite all our efforts." _

_"My Lord?" Harumi asks in wonder of what he meant by that statement._

_Hiruzen lets out a heavy breath, steeling himself to bring out the purpose of his visit. _

_"I want Naruto to live peacefully and safe, and I have no doubt that it's within your power to provide that. Unfortunately, it's not within my power to allow it. I came to put an end to it."_

_There was silence between the Hokage and the head family, giving Harumi the time to show how shock she was to hear his statement._

_"Lord Hokage, I-I don't understand. what possible reason could you have for this?" She finds the words to question him._

_"His status as a Jinchuuriki, I would assume." Hiashi states, diverting all the attention towards himself._

_"Association with any of the clans comes with potential risk of shifting the balance of power within the village. The Hokage is duty bound to prevent such things, ensuring that the Jinchuuriki remains loyal to the village as a whole, not favoring one group over the rest." He explains in further detail._

_It may not seem like it, but Hiashi was also concerned for Naruto's well-being, enough to support having him live among his clan, to his wife's deepest wishes, as well as a certain debt that is owed. Right now however, he stands as the head of the Hyuga, a position that has its own limitations, and worse, those who'd take advantage of them. He knew that the main house members surrounding them are excited at the prospect of being rid of Naruto, the village demon whose presence damages the clan's name and reputation. If the Hokage orders it, they'll see to it that Hiashi complies, which they easily could through clan politics. _

_"Yes Hiashi, that is exactly the reason. If it was anything but that, I wouldn't even think to make things even harder on Naruto than they already are." Hiruzen confirms the stated assumption._

_"But wait, nothing like that prevented him from living with his own clan. Why is this coming into affect now?" Harumi argues against the reasoning._

_"The fact that he is a clan member was, to be blunt, overshadowed by the fact that he is a son of Minato. Relations like that with the ruling Hokage is the only acceptable cause to overlook this precaution. That he was brought here to begin with was out of consideration for what he had suffered, leaving him in the care of those that he may see as a secondary family, but only as a temporary solution." Hiruzen explains._

_Silence had struck the room again, whilst Harumi was absorbing the explanation that was given to her. _

_"What would his living condition be then? What of his inheritance?" She ask in a slightly more bolder tone, as if to say that she cares more for Naruto than the Hokage's order. _

_"It's been decided that the best course of action would be for Naruto to have his own residence. He'll be under the watch of ANBU, ready to defend him whenever the need arises. His inheritance is another complication I'm afraid."_

_"The assets and properties of a clan belong to the village, when there's no existing member eligible to claim them. Naruto would have to become a Chunnin first. Once he meets that standard, he'll be considered as the head the Uzumaki Clan, earning both his seat on the council, as well as his Clan's holdings. In the meantime, he will be provided for, financially and any other needed essentials, until he can provide for himself." The Hokage answers in detail. _

_"That is unacceptable. What you just described to me, It's almost as if you're treating him like a prisoner. You should know better." Harumi responded begrudgingly, unable to keep herself composed any longer. _

_"Lady Harumi, you are overstepping your place speaking to the Hokage like..." A Hyuga elder tried to step in, only to be silenced when Hiruzen raised an open palm towards him. _

_"Please, speak your mind Lady Harumi. I will hold no hostility to your opinions." Hiruzen grants her the opportunity._

_Harumi took a moment to collect her thoughts, being careful with the argument she's about to make._

_"Lord Hokage, I can only object entirely to all of this. You may believe that what's best for the village is the same as what's best for Naruto, and that the actions you're taking to ensure his protection are enough. For his sake, I have to tell you that you are wrong."_

_"All his life, he's had to endure a village of those with unfound prejudice towards him, despite him being the son of their most cherished hero, the same man that forced this hardship on him, and did almost nothing to relieve him of it. He had his clan to protect him, but now his father has robbed him of that as well, murdered the Uzumakis in cold-blood and then abandoned Naruto to a vulnerable position, attracting the village to be open with their disdain for him. Not only that, but now they've even targeted the Uzumaki name instead of acknowledging them as victims in a tragedy. You are aware as to what they are saying?" _

_Hiruzen lets go of his breath, knowing that this topic found its way in the argument._

_"Obviously, you're referring to the ongoing rumor about some conspiracy regarding the true purpose of the massacre. That Minato's crime is a cover for him to have defended the village against something that the Uzumakis were plotting."_

_He never imagined that things would go this far in regards to the villager's behavior. If anything, it should serve as a testament to the potential of a single rumor driving the masses._

_"A wild, baseless rumor indeed, but you have to understand how difficult it must be for the people to take this. Despite this heinous crime, Minato is still the one who devoted himself to the well-being of Konoha, earning the title of Hokage for what he had already accomplished. Throwing that away to murder the people he swore to protect, it's unimaginable. we still have to consider the possibility that he might've been manipulated into his actions by one of his many enemies, thinking that this would've be some form of poetic revenge." Hiruzen tried to defend._

_"With all due respect Lord, none of that should matter. Whatever the situation may be, Naruto is always the one who suffers needlessly, all for the convenience of a misguided village giving in to whatever best supports their believes and emotions, this conspiracy theory being the latest, and best example." Harumi counters_

_"Lord Hokage, if you do this, you'll only contribute to that suffering by making him more vulnerable to it. I cannot just stand by and let it happen, not only for his protection, but for the debt I owe to Kushina, after she had saved my life when my health diminished. I beg you lord, please reconsider." Harumi pleaded with all that she had, even laying herself to the ground as a bow made in desperation._

* * *

(End Flashback)

Every word she threw at him that day was more weight to his heart, hoping to pressure him away from carrying on that course of action. They had the intended effect, and still the Hokage couldn't permit himself to sway from his decision.

He did his duty and that was that. He may regret what he did against Naruto, but he also had faith in him to pull through, and time finally came for it to pay of. The boy was now a shinobi, better protected under the law of the village. More importantly, he's half way to becoming a Chunin, which would strengthen his position further as he'll be marked as the head of the Uzumaki clan, joining the shinobi council and taking back the clan's wealth he had been denied.

This wasn't to say however, that his caution had faded. If tonight's incident proves anything, it's that some are now more desperate to dampen Naruto's progress, and will take greater measures to do it. One of which is sure to be a problem in that regard.

For all the Hokage knew, his old friend was somehow involved in this incident.


End file.
